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Author Topic: "Larry's Antennas LLC" KJ7U Screwdriver  (Read 5677 times)

KC2JMY

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"Larry's Antennas LLC" KJ7U Screwdriver
« on: July 05, 2003, 01:22:01 AM »

Larry's Antennas LLC makes two screwdriver antennas.  I ordered the original unit (not the shorty).

Larry's Antennas LLC is apparently a one-person operation.

Larry's Antennas LLC Shipping:
The KJ7U antenna is shipped in a tube that is appropriate for a poster and not a heavy antenna.  Not surprisingly when I went to pick it up at the post office one of the flimsy end caps was missing from the tube.  The USPS was nice enough to try and patch up the container at some point but regardless, this is no way to ship such an item.  When I spoke with Larry about this he was "surprised" and he chose to blame the USPS for this and not the shipping container that is used.

Larry's Antennas LLC Mechanical Issues:
The antenna would not sit all the way down on the post it that it mounts on - obviously poor machining and no QA.   When I initially spoke with Larry about this he was "surprised" and said that this had never happened before  and that it would eventually "work its way down".  He didn't have a good explantion of how an aluminum post or the "space age" insulator material on the antenna were ever going to ease up and magically fit together some day.   A few weeks later and Larry now says that this is a "common problem" and perhaps I should "make my own post out of wood" ???    Later again Larry tells me that the antenna not being securely mounted on the post "will hurt nothing".  I'm guessing he means that when the antenna comes flying off my vehicle and goes through someones windshield that he's sure it will miss the occupants  ?

Larry's Antennas LLC Technical Support:
After about a month of light use the antenna started to seize up and would not move in one direction.  I called Larry who was again "surprised" and told me that the antenna would eventually loosen up.  Larry was a little confused I guess so I had to explain again that the antenna was orginally loose and had now gotten tighter and would not move in one direction so therefore it had gotten worse and not better.  Larry was quick to suggest that I take a rubber mallet and go out and bang on all sides of the antenna to see if that fixed it - seriously.  I did what I was asked and (surprise) it didn't help.  Larry was baffled and suggested that I *bypass* the large dropping resistor which is part of his design to regulate the voltage to the motor.  This worked for a few minutes and then the antenna began to seize up again.  Larry was again "surprised".

Larry's Antennas LLC Customer Service Department Part I:
Larry *never* *ever* returned any of my many phone messages after I started calling about the problem with the antenna seizing up.  I also found that I had to send him many emails before he answered any but when he did he avoided the issues I was trying to raise.
Larrys Antennas LLC phone number, (360) 896-5810,  will not accept calls from blocked numbers.  My number is blocked by my telco so that only those with a need to know get it.  Why on earth would a business be screening calls like this ???

Larry's Antennas LLC Customer Service Department Part II
After many calls and emails we both agreed that Larry was going to send me a replacement unit and I would return the defective unit immediately in Larrys "packing material".  I could not get ahold of Larry for a few days.  Sensing that there was something fishy I called him and sure enough there was.  He now had no intention of sending me a replacement.  After a couple of more days he grudgingly stated that I could either "buy a new one" or ship the defective unit back and that he would "take care of it".   Oh boy, what a choice - pay Larry's Antennas LLC even more money or wonder in what condition "my" antenna would come back in while I was waiting for it or if it would come back.  Larry also warned me that if I did send the defective unit back that it had better not be COD or it would be sent right back !  wow.

Larry's Antennas LLC Customer Service Department Part III
When I called Larry back and he reneged on his commitment to replace the unit he became very angry (gee isn't the customer supposed to get angry here ?  :-)   ).
The last thing he told me was "I don't want to f*ck around with people like you" and then he hung up the phone.   wow.

Larry's Antennas LLC Customer Service Department Part IV
After several days of my emails not being answered I called Larry's Antennas LLC and kept getting an answering machine.  When I did get through, Larry would just hang up the phone on me.  Eventually he went to the local sheriffs office and filed a complaint against ME. WOW.

Larry's Antennas LLC Warranty
There apparently is none.

(See also the KJ7U screwdriver review in the Equipment Reviews section)
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